JJ Gabriel Appears in Man Utd Team Photo Amid Exit Dispute

What changed

JJ Gabriel appears in Manchester United’s official team photo for this season, even though the teenager has told the club he intends to leave. The photographs were reportedly taken on 8 September, two days before his final United appearance, and the club has since made multiple attempts to repair the relationship without success.

Gabriel, who turns 16 on Tuesday, remains registered to United but has not returned since scoring a hat-trick against Sabah FK in the UEFA Youth League on 10 September. Real Madrid and Barcelona are among the clubs interested, although no club has approached United so far.

Why it matters

The team photo captures the awkward middle ground: Gabriel is still officially part of Manchester United, but his next appearance for the club is considered highly unlikely. A smiling group image can freeze a relationship in place even when the football reality has already moved on.

The dispute appears to have sharpened around selection. Gabriel’s camp wanted him involved against Sabah in the Champions League, while United had not registered him on the competition’s A list. The exact reason for that omission is unclear. He was also discussed as a possible substitute against Brighton in the EFL Cup, a match that could have made him United’s youngest-ever player, but by then he had already left the country.

United say they had positioned Gabriel as important to the first-team future, offering regular access to senior coaches and nutritionists and even lobbying for “JJ Gabriel” to appear on his shirt. That investment now matters because the club is not simply losing an academy player; it is trying to retain control of his registration while deciding whether the breakdown can still be reversed.

Gabriel’s EU passport may make a move to continental Europe easier. But any transfer remains unresolved, and United would consider legal action if evidence emerged of an illegal approach by a club or agent. Until then, the team photograph is less a sign of reconciliation than a formal record of a player who may already be on his way out.